Free will

One believes either lies or truth. Our beliefs come to us from our environment or from God. The God who is Love and Light is wooing us into Truth. To believe you freely choose what to believe is to believe a lie.

If the truth was the most attractive tree in the Garden of Eden, you would be right. But it isn't, so I respectfully disagree. It's more like believing your Mother when she tells you to take the Castor Oil because it's good for you. (Is there such a thing any more?)

James, I am so thankful that the foundation of spiritual truth, being, and knowledge, is not based on conformity to or acceptance of outward prescription of other people. Because of the coming of Christ within our conscious and conscience there is no longer the need for adherence to the outward ideologies and prescriptions of priests, ministers, educators, etc., in matters of the Spirit and conscience. It may be true the believing Mom's prescription of Castor Oil is good for the body relating to temporal matters, however, your analogue does not stand in matters of the Spirit. In Christ, we have another way that is not of the outward nature and outward prescription. The inward experience of Presence itself teaching and guiding our conscious and conscience directly and without outward forms or mediators is the gift of the Christ's coming again within us. In Christ we are christened into a way of being, a conscious anchored in and conscience informed directly and without mediation by the experience of Presence itself and that way is not the way of outward prescription.

Keith, Have you ever heard the expression "The Truth Hurts"? The point is we don't necessarily want the truth. I agree with Diane that in the long run we generally accept the truth. I just believe that it's after we exercise our free will that we realize that accepting it is for our own good. In my view when we choose not to accept the truth, experience being the best teacher brings us back to it. When I think of wooing I think of pleasure and not pain. Now for those who have received abundant grace to suit God's own purposes obedience comes easily and truth is accepted readily, but for the average person I personally believe it takes some experience to realize that obedience is better than sacrifice.

When one is not being captivated by Truth and not doing what s/he sees the Father doing, then one is being bedazzled by the world and is doing what s/he sees being done in the world. No free will there.